Watchcase construction



APatente! Feb'. 22, 1927.

1,618,452 ,Q ,sfirA'r-Es PATE NT oer/F1os.

pouls LEHR, OE'ERIGHTONHEIGHTS, NEW YORK, AssIGNoR To sri/10N I Y NEW YORK, N; Y.

BRUNER, OF

WATCHCASE CONSTRUCTION.

pplication filed November 10, 1924. Serial No. 748,814.

This invention relates to the construction of Watch cases, and ymore particularly to the construction 'ofycases for wrist watchesa d iAni'object 4of this invention is to provide vasim'ple but thoroughly practical constructron VforWrist4 Watch cases for 'both ladies and mens models or! styles, particularly such cases-of'thei'so-calledthree-piece type, which 1f construction L'be readily adaptable to lfancy*V shapesas'are characteristically emvariouslshapes,such as the `'irregular or ployed infthe'fdesign of Wrist Watches. An-

other Objectis to provide a 'construction of lthe vabove nature'nj which a movement Vholder of ashape approximating that of the casingi'tselfiniay be reliably /held in position, efficientlyv accommodated, Within' 'the case, readily I'accessible *or removableffor. re-

pair forfinspection, 'and Well protected from injury: fromthef exterior, as `vvell as fromv ingres's'th'ereto 'of dustl'or V,foreignV matter. Another'object of thisinvention istoprovide a three-piece' vvvatch casing', the construction offvvhichv Willreadily lend itself to 'inexpensive andrapid'manufacture, but Without detractingfrom the ruggedness'and durability y, of construction and dependability of vaction soy Whenfinuse. "A'no'ther object kis to provide a Watchfcasing of thev above-mentioned type, but Which-mayberapidly and inexpensively built' up vof sections or parts, Which lend themselves' readily torapid and inexpensive manufacture. Otherobjects will be in part bvious ,or in Vpart pointed` out'hereinafter.

if The invention accordingly consists in the fea-tures of fconstruction, combinations of elements,`and arrangements of parts as will be exemplified in the structure to loe hereinafterdes'cribed andfthe scope of the application'of which will beindicated in the foll'ovvingl Claims.

",'In the accompanymgldrawing, 1nV Which 1s shown "oneof'thev various vpossible embodif yments'of this invention,

- Figure l`lis a` perspective view-0f the sev-- eral'parts of a 'Wa-tch, k'these parts being shown-"lindetach'ed 'relation oneto Aanother in order to ishovv the construction more Figure 3-is`a longitudinal vertical section lar parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

As conducive to a clearer understanding of certain features vof this invention, -it might be pointed out that, in Wrist Watch construction `Where the Watch itself is often of quite diminutive size, -as Well as of various irregular or fancy shapes or designs, compactness 'of construction without sacrifice of ruggedness and durability of construction or without sacrifice of accessibility tothe movement itself, is a highly desirable feature toward achieving diminutive size; hence efficiency of'housing ofthe movement Within the casing becomes highly important. The ready adaptation or accommodationof a casing of fancy irregular oro'dd shapefto a movement holder lofci'rcular `or Airregular' 'or fancy outline orshape, orKV viceversa', is among the dominantaims of this invention.

Vv/Referring now to' 'the' drawing and more Vparticularly to Figures' 1- and 2,v there is generally indicated 'at l0 Vwhat vvill hereinafter-be'termed ythe central yframe within which the movement holder is received and mounted, this centraly `fram 10 comprises a plate-like'member 1l of'sheetmetal, having ay periphery shaped to correspond to the ultimate fancj,7 shape ordesign of the Watch case'as will be clear from` Figure l, and centrally pierced i or apertured asrv at l2.

About this opening or aperture 12 there form of punch press, for example.

The *movement l'holder' `14e is supported within *the plate"member 1l"`by"-1n`e;m`s` 'of a'secondfplate-lilrfe member' :15, the periphery ofiwhich," 1 as jfWillf be clear 1 from@ Figure 1, has a shapecorresponding substantially Y like member 11 by means of a flange 16 preferably integrally formed with the plaien like member 15. rl'he latter 1s apertured as at 17, this aperture corresponding in shapeV to the shape of the movement holder 14: which, as above noted, is shown, by Way of example, as of elliptical shape. Preferably the apen tures 17 and 12 are alinediand of like shape so that the movement holder 14 may be fitted Within these apertures,.as Will be clear from a considera-tion of VFigure 3, it being noted that the movement` holder 14 is provided about its upper periphery with a projecting flange 18 for limiting thedownward movement of the holder 141 withrespect to the central frame 10. rFlic aperture 17, and preferably also the aperturer12, are so dimensioned that the movement holder 14 is received therein with. a slight force-fit, thus to hold the movement holder 1a securely in position. The plate members 11 and 15, being` secured together by soldering, for example, of the flange 16 to the plate member 1 1 thus will encase the movement holder 14 about its periphery, but leave exposed, for inspection or repair, the front and back respectively of the movement holder 14.

At one side of the flange 16 (see Fig. 1) there is provided a suitable. opening 19 through. which the stem 2O of the movement holder 14: may be inserted as the latter is inserted Within the central Vframe 10, the crown 21 being placed upon the stem 2O after the' assembly of these parts. v

A back cover, generally indicated at 22 (see Fig. 1) is provided for closing the rear side of the frame 10; this back cover 22 is, like the remaining parts of the casing, built up of parts Whichflend themselves to rapid and inexpensive manufacture. This back cover 22 comprises preferably two members, the one comprising a flat sheet metal member 23, the extreme outer periphery of which is given Vthe fancy outlinedesired, but issubstantially centrally apertured as at 24. The other memberof this back cover 22 co1nprises the sheet met-al member 25, having the :fancy outline; it is preferably flanged throughout its periphery,'as Will be clear from Figures 2 and 3, andthe co-inating peripheries of thefparts 25 and 23 are suitably secured together as by soldering. The aperture 24 of this back cover 22 is of such size as to fit and snap over the flange 13 of the plate-like member 11 of the central frame 10.

The front cover comprises preferably a sheet metal member 26, also of the fancy outline'g it is apertured as at 27 in any desired shape so as to receive and hold, by any convement means, a crystal 28 of corresponding shape; and is provided with a pcripherally extending and rearwardly directed flange 29 shaped to fit and snap over the plate-like memberrl, and the peripheral flange 16 of the latter. The front cover 26 is suitably cnt away the side thereof, as at 30, in order to accommodate the stem 20 of the movement holder 14:, and as will be seen from Figure 3, the flange 29 is snugly fitted over the flange 16 of the central frame 10 and is seated against the plate-like member 11 of the latter.-

Vhile the front and back covers are securely held in assembled relation With respect to the central frame 1,0, yet I prefer to con neet these three parts together as by a suitable hinge construction. The latter may comprise suitable tubular sections 31 (secured as by soldering to the flange 29 of the front cover 26), 31b (secured as by soldering to the plate member 11), and 31c (secured as by soldering to the sheet metal member 23 of the back cover 22). These tubular sections are laterally displaced, so that they may be brought int-o axial alinement for the passage therethrough of a suitable connecting pin, the snap fits of the front and back covers to their respective portions of the central frame 10 acting to hold these parts in closed rela.- tion. Suit-able loops 32 and 33, suitably secured to the front cover 26, are provided for attaching a suitable band or strap for holdthe Watch in position.

The assembled parts are shown in Figure 3, and in viev.7 of the foregoing description of the construction and assembly of the detail parts of the construction provided in this invention` it is believed that the features of this invention will be readily understood; it may be noted, however, that the construction provided in this invention permits the rapid and inexpensive building up of the several parte` of the watch easing out of sections of sheet metal which sections of themselves lend themselves to great rapidity of manufacture, thus making for not only speed of production, but also inexpensive manufacture as a whole. The parts may. for example, be readily struck up, and it will be seen that to accommodate wi thin a casing of one character of fancy shape or outline a n'ioveinent holder zuiproaching this outline, it is merely necessary to 'pattern the aperture l?, and as desired in the preferred constrl1ction.` the aperture 12 (see Figs. 1 and 2) according to the shape of the movement holder desired or most appropriate to the shape of the casing itself. llfforeover. it Will be noted that there has been provided in this inven- 'fion a construction in Which foreign matter is effectively excluded from access to the movement holder itself, the manner in Which the front and back covers inter-lit with the central frame providing relatively long joints along which it is exceedingly difficult,

lll)

Y lll ber of said `central fra-me.

` vided in ythis invention a watch casing construction in which the several objects hereinbeforenoted, as well as others, together with manythoroughly practical advantages are successfully achieved.

y As manyv possible embodiments may be madeof the aboveV invention, and as many changes might be made in the embodiment above set forth, it is to be yunderstood that all I r f'matter hereinbefore set forth is to be inter- Vpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense. Y

I'claim as my invention: 1.5 In watchcasing construction, in combination, a central frame formed of two sheet metal members held in spaced relation Y with respect to one another, bothof said members being substantially centrally apertured tov providesubstantially alined openings inwhich to receive a movement holder,

a flange about the periphery of one of said 4members for holding it in spaced relation from the other member, and a flange about the periphery 'of the opening in one of said members; a cover for said frame member having a flange adapted to fit over said lirstmentioned flange; and another cover for said iframe member having means adapted to fit and snap over said second-inentioned flange.

E2. In watch casing construction, in coinbination, a central frame built up of two lsheetmetal members, reach of which has a fancy outline and the front member of which j is apertured to receive a movement holder of a shape approximating that of the fancy outline, means for rigidly connecting to "gether but holding in spaced relation said two members, and a rearwz rdly directed liangefon 'the rear one of said two members but within the outer periphery of said member; a front cover for said frame having alike fancy outline and a flange extending thereabout for iitting and snapping over the front member of said central frame;

yand a back cover for said frame having means adapted to fit and snap over said rearwardlydirected flange of said rear incinsaid cover to said member, means for supporting a movement holder upon said platelike member comprising a second plate-like sheet metal member apertured to receive said holder but supported in spaced relation from said first plate-like member, and a front cover having a peripheral flange adapted to fit and snap over said first-mentioned plate-y bination, a plate-like sheet niet-al member n having a rearwardly directed flange but positioned within the periphery of said member, a back cover having means adapted to fit and snap over said fla-nge to hold said cover to said member, means for sup-- porting a movement holder upon said platelike member comprising a second platelike sheetJ metal member apertured to receive said holder but supported in spaced relation from said first plate-like member, by means of a peripherally extending flange on one of said plate-like members, and a front cover having a peripheral flange adapted to lit and snap over said plate-like member.

5. In watch case construction, in combination, a. central frame formed of two sheet metal members of fancy outline and held in spaced relation by means of a pe ripherally formed flange on one of said members, both of said members being centrally apertured to provide substantially alined openings in which to receive and hold a movement holder and one of said members being provided with an upstanding flange but within the periphery of said member; a cover for one side of said frame having a flange adapted to fit and snap over one of said flanges to hold said cover in place; and a cover for the other side of said frame having means adapted to lit and snap over the other of said flanges.

6. In watch casing construction, in combination, an apertured plate-like member of fancy outline having a rearwardly directed flange but positioned within the periphery of said member; a. back cover of fancy outline adapted to rest against the rear side of said member and having means adapted to lit and snap over said flange, means for supporting a movement holder upon said plate-like member comprising a second plate-like member apertured to receive said holder but supported in spaced relation from said first plate-like member, said second-mentioned plate-like member having substantially the same fancy outline as said first-mentioned plate-like member but wit-hin the compass'tliereof; and a front cover of substantially the same fancy outline but provided with a peripherally extending flange adapted to lit and snap over said second-mentioned plate-like member and to rest against said first-mentioned plate-like member. l

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification this 6th day of November, 1924. 

